Niners' Shanahan: ‘Didn’t enjoy game by any means’

“It’s not all about the quarterback,” said Greg Papa, who after his years previously as the Raiders announcer and now the 49ers announcer, well knows, that it is indeed always about the quarterback, especially in San Francisco.

Where from Frankie Albert to John Brodie through Joe Montana and Steve Young, it’s been about the man who takes the snaps and the criticism. As was the case Sunday when the Niners played their first preseason (exhibition) game of 2023 to find a backup for Brock Purdy, who as promised pre-game, didn’t play a down Sunday against the Raiders in Las Vegas (sadly now the home of the Oakland Raiders as it seemingly will be of the Oakland Athletics as well).

If you care about the score, that’s your problem. 

The Raiders won, 34-7, and although the result means little in the grand scheme of things, Niners coach Kyle Shanahan said, “I didn’t enjoy the game by any means.”

Not that there wasn’t some value for Shanahan and the Niners, who now understand (as if they didn’t before) the importance of the quarterback, primarily Trey Lance, to unload the ball before the D-line unloads on him.

As a point of information, the late John Madden, when he coached the Raiders, said if a preseason game was one-sided, he wanted to be the loser, the better to get his team’s attention in practice. 

Lance, who started, was sacked four times for 18 yards, the main reason the Niners didn’t get a first down until the second quarter.

“Trey held the ball too long,” affirmed Shanahan. Perhaps because even if he was the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 draft, he’s barely played, losing the position because of injuries, which enabled first Jimmy Garoppolo, then Purdy to take over.

During the off-season, the Niners signed another first-round QB, Sam Darnold, who as Lance, was a third overall pick by the Jets who kept him until he was booed out of New York, not unusual for any Jets quarterback not named Joe Namath.

Darnold played the second half and after completing his first four pass attempts, finished 5 of 8. He wasn’t sacked once, but situations and lineups change later in play. It also may change after a few weeks and before the regular season begins. 

Is this the way the Niners view their QBs? Will the rotation be Purdy, Lance, and Darnold? Or will Lance or Darnold be waived or traded? And since he’s returning from that season-closing elbow injury, will Purdy be healthy enough to regain his place?

“We’re always hard on quarterbacks,” reminded Shanahan. 

Then, when it appeared he would gripe about what had happened — or considering the lack of offense, what hadn’t — Shanahan softened his attitude. Lance was being protected, in a manner by an O-line lacking numerous starters.

He paid the price for backups playing their roles. Then again, he paid the price of a sub not being completely comfortable with moving up to the level demanded.

It’s not all about the quarterback until it has to be.